Little Mermaid star addresses Flounder backlash
The Little Mermaid star Jacob Tremblay has addressed the backlash to his character's appearance in the live-action remake of the Disney classic.
The Wonder actor provides the voice for Ariel's best friend Flounder, alongside Halle Bailey as Ariel and Jonah Hauer-King as Eric.
In the original 1989 animated film, the loveable yellow and blue tropical fish is noticeably bigger than in the new version, and some fans have criticised his new look and said he's "too skinny."
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At the premiere in Los Angeles last night (May 9), Tremblay was asked by Variety if he thought his character needed to gain some weight.
He replied: "No. I was actually shown the design when I went in for my audition. Rob [Marshall, director] had shown me. I just had complete faith in Rob."
"I thought it looked great because that is kind of like the puppet they had on set, and then, of course, when I went and saw the film - I watched it last night and I think it just all works so well."
He added: "They were genius [Rob and creative team] - they kind of made it work so well. "
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Some Disney fans were disappointed with Flounder's live-action makeover, one tweeted: "Wanna see The Little Mermaid... but why is Flounder skinny... he is supposed to be fat."
Another viewer who has already seen the film added: "I can't wait for audiences to see this! But I still don't know if I'm used to skinny Flounder yet."
A third asked: "Can't wait to see the little mermaid, but why did they made Flounder skinny?" as a fourth wrote: "Skinny flounder is the stuff of nightmares."
Related: The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey gets praise from original Ariel
Tremblay appears alongside Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, Noma Dumezweni as new character Queen Selina, with Awkwafina and Daveed Diggs lending their voices for Scuttle and Sebastian respectively.
Even with the backlash, the movie has received positive first reactions from critics and fans, with many praising Bailey's performance as Ariel.
Kathia Woods wrote on Twitter: "#TheLittleMermaid is a tribute to all little girls to dream big. Halle Bailey is sheer magic and Daveed Diggs a delight as Sebastian."
The Little Mermaid live-action movie opens on May 26 in the UK and the US. The animated movie is streaming on Disney+.
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